Aspiring Mathematicians Programme (AMP)

As a maths school we think it’s really important that students get the chance to take part in scientific and mathematical research, mathematics competitions and both collaborative and individual mathematics projects. We know that each of our students will find a different passion within science, technology, engineering or maths, and so we give them the opportunity to engage with a wide variety of activities, from advanced problem-solving to talks from visiting lecturers and the chance to pursue their interests independently. We also change the programme in response to students' needs and their feedback after each phase. The AMP journey is therefore different for each of our students, and different for every cohort of students that passes through ULMaS.

There are also two weekly maths clubs, one for Y12 and one for Y13 students, which introduce students to topics from a university maths course. This takes the form of a lecture over lunch time after which students have a problem sheet to work on. There is a separate topic each half term. In Year 12 we cover Number Theory; Higher Order Polynomials; Logic and an Introduction to Analysis. In Year 13 we cover Linear Algebra; Abstract Algebra; Further Differential Equations and other assorted topics such as Knot theory and Game theory.

This year the AMP features:

	Year 12	Year 13
Half Term 1	UKMT Maths Challenge Preparation Typesetting in LaTeX	Group Theory
Half Term 2	Complex Numbers and geometry in the Argand Plane	Multi-Variable Calculus
Half Term 3	The Industry Project	Individual Projects presentations
Half Term 4	The Physics Project	Recurrence Relations
Half Term 5	Personalised enrichment and support Activities including visiting speakers, university entrance test preparation, Olympiad coaching, personalised academic support.	Revision for A-Level exams
Half Term 6	The Individual Project	A-Level exams

Industry Project:

This a group project on a choice of STEM projects set by local or national employers. A key outcome of this project is to develop team work and presentation skills, while learning about research and development roles in industry.

Physics Project:

This is also a group project in which students design and carry out a physics experiment of their own choice. A key outcome of this project is to further develop team work and presentation skills, while learning about the challenges of doing new practical science experiments. Students are also challenged to use their mathematical and programming skills to enhance the analysis of the data procured from their experiment.

Individual Project:

Students plan and undertake a personal research project which they will continue over the summer break, possibly collaborating with researchers at the University of Liverpool or elsewhere. These projects may take students far beyond the limits of the A-Level courses. Work on this continues throughout the Year 13 lessons, interspersed with new content from the Extra Pure curriculum. Projects are presented to small groups of staff and Year 12 students in February of Year 13.

The aims of the AMP are to:

Develop a range of academic and vocational skills beyond those required at A-level
Prepare students for the UCAS application process and university interviews
Push our students’ mathematical thinking to the point where challenging assessments like STEP and MAT start to feel like interesting puzzles rather than impossible challenges
Develop students’ experience of solving real life problems beyond examination questions
Give students opportunities to be inspired by and work alongside academics, current undergraduates and researchers
Facilitate students in the completion of a significant research task, culminating in an evening to showcase their outcomes
Enhance students’ ability to work in group related tasks and projects
Broaden students’ horizons in terms of their future career opportunities/aspirations by giving them genuinely valuable work experience and careers guidance
Prepare students to take part in mathematics and science competitions like the UKMT Maths Challenges, the British Maths Olympiad and the British Physics Olympiad.